Overlength extended slotter mechanism



Unite States atet [72] Inventor Henry D. Ward, Jr. Phoenix, Maryland [21] Appl. No. 727,975

[22] Filed May 9,1968

[45] Patented Nov. 17,1970

[73] Assignee The Ward-Turner Machinery Company Baltimore, Maryland a corporation of Maryland [54] OVERLENGTH EXTENDED SLOTTER MECHANISM 10 Claims, 5 Drawing Figs.

[52] US. Cl 93/58A, 93/1, 93/58.2 [51] Int. Cl 1831b l/08, B31bl/22,B3lb19/14 [50] Field ofSearch 1. 93/l(G), 58.2. 58.4

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,129,481 2/1915 Gores 93/58.2 1,977,812 10/1934 Swift 93/58.2 2,117,220 5/1938 Sieg 93/58.2 2,422,783 6/1947 Jacobson 271/44 3,003,403 10/1961 Goettsch 93/1 3,031,937 5/1962 Greenwood... 93/58.4X

Primary Examiner-Wayne A. Morse, Jr. Atzorney-Walter G. Finch ABSTRACT: In a carton manufacturing machine, the opposing members of a pair of slotting wheels are made with their circumferences related in theratio of one to one and one half. They rotate at a common rate of peripheral speed which corresponds to the normal travel or cycle rate of a carton blank through the machine. These wheels mount interchangeably the male cutting members for the slotting function. With the male knives on the smaller diameter wheel, normal rate of operation ofthe machine obtains.

When extended length cartons are to be slotted. a feed mechanism operates to supply a blank every third cycle and the male knives are mounted on the larger diameter wheel taking advantage of its greater peripheral length and slower cyclic rate. Resumption of normal operation from extended operation involves only the exchange of knives and no shifting of gears. Annular female die rings are on both wheels and require no changing or indexing.

Patented Nov. 17, 1970 l of 3 Sheet INVENTOR HENRYQ WARQ, JR.

TTORNEY Patented Nov, 17, 1970 Sheet HENRY D. WARD, JR.

ATTORNEY OVERLENGTH EXTENDED SLOTTER MECHANISM This invention relates generally to paper box or carton machines, and more particularly it pertains to the mechanism for slotting the carton blanks.

It has become a regular practice to extend the capacity of a machine to enable it to slot carton blanks ofgreater length.

Cartons, in recent times, have enlarged to replace more expensive crates and wooden boxes. A change from normal to extended length carton manufacturing procedure occurs when the slots must be spaced greater than the periphery of the slotting wheel. It is not safe or practical to extend the slotting wheel diameter and elongate the machine to accommodate such long cartons. Consequently, a method of skipfeed has been used.

in addition to the above, carton-manufacturing machines are made in a variety of sizes, each size being able to handle a wide range of box blanks. In normal plant, there will be large, medium, and small machines. The smallest machine and the largest machine then limit the sizes a plant can run.

It is usually undesirable to have an extremely large machine because it becomes unwieldy and slow (in sheets per minute) on smaller, more usual work.

In changing over a slotting mechanism to extended operation, it is necessary to shift gears to maintain the peripheral speed of a changed diameter cutting wheel. During such process, the relationship or indexing of the wheel with respect to the remainder of the machine is often lost with the result that slotting may occur at the wrong place on the carton blank.

Another disadvantage is the requirement that the heavy shaft be lifted so that oversize wheel rims may be installed.

It is an object of this invention, therefore, to provide an arrangement of slotting wheels which will remain synchronized with the other functions of a carton blank manufacturing machine for all settings of carton size.

Another object of this invention is to provide a faster changeover arrangement for normal to extended slotting operation in a carton blank machine.

Another object of this invention is to provide mechanism and a method of using a moderately large machine for the big gest machine in the plant for extending slotting of cartons and yet being able to run very large cartons when required.

To provide a rotary cutter two-wheel arrangement which will provide male or female slotter functions interchangeably on the wheels, is yet another object of this invention.

Also to provide a machine for printing, fold creasing, and cover flap slotting of carton blanks wherein a greater range of carton blank sizes can be accommodated without auxiliary attachments, is an object ofthis invention.

Other objects and attendant advantages of this invention will become more readily apparent and understood from the following detailed specification and accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal section through a printer-slotter machine,incorporatingfeatures of this invention. With the exception of the stub shafts, all dashed line circles represent gears on the far side ofthe far wall ofthe machine,

FIG. 2 is an isometric view of the slotter and creaser wheel assemblies and their relationship to a carton blank;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged vertical section taken on line 3-3 of FIG. 1; and

FIGS. 4 and 5 are fragmentary detail illustrations showing the knife blades mounted on the slotter wheels for, respectively, extended and the normal methods of operating the machine.

Referring now to FIG. 1, reference numeral indicates generally a printer slotter machine. This machine 10 comprises three major sections, a feeder section 12, a printer section 14 and a creaser-slotter section 16. The feeder section 12 includes a hopper 18 where carton blanks are supplied to the machine to lie between a raised front stop 20 and a back stop 22 to form a stack 26A. Beneath this stack 26A of carton blanks, there is a feeder bar 24 which reciprocates from left to right through interpolating connecting linkage, not shown, from a drive gear 28. An example of such linkage is shown in US. Pat. No. 2,422,783, issued June 24, 1947 to Jacobson for "Skip-Feed Mechanism."

The same drive gear 28 rotates the lower and upper infeed rolls 30 and 34 by means of their respective gears 32 and 36. These rolls 30 and 34 receive the lowermost blank 26!! feeding into the machine. A first lower impression cylinder 38 has a gear 40 driven from the feed mechanism drive gear 28. In turn, the gear 40 meshes with a gear 44 of the first upper impression plate cylinder 42.

The latter gear 44 meshes with idler gear 46 on a stub shaft 48. Next, the idler gear 46 rotates a transverse collar shaft 50 by means of a gear 54. A plurality of collars 52 are mounted adjustably on this shaft so as to be shiftable axially and avoid any areas of a blank 26C being printed by the first impression plate cylinder 42. The collars 52 are backed up by a transfer cylinder 56 whose driving gear 58 is meshed with the previously mentioned collar shaft rotating gear 54.

Another printing arrangement follows in sequence includ ing a second printing plate cylinder 60 and impression cylinder 64. These have, respectively, gears 62 and 66 in mesh with the former gear 62, driven by the idler gear 46.

Another idler gear 68 is mounted on a stub shaft 70 and acts as an intermediate coupling from gear 62 to a train comprising gears 76 and 82. These gears 76 and 82, respectively, are

mounted on and rotate the shafts 72 and 78 of upper and lower creasing heads 74 and 80.

An idler gear 84 on stub shaft 86 couples creaser gear 76 to a drive gear 92 to rotate upper and lower slotter heads 88 and 104. The drive gear 92 is on the upper slotter head shaft 90. A spur gear 94 secured on the same shaft rotates a drive gear 108 on the lower slotter head shaft 106 by means of a train of idlers 96 and 100 on respective stub shafts 98 and 102.

The ratio of one to one has been maintained between the gears 28, 44, 62 and 92. The ratio changes between gears 92 and 108 are two and three. Therefore, the lower slotter head 104 makes two revolutions to every three of the upper slotter head 88.

With reference to FIG. 3, it is important to note the following duplicated peripheral features on the upper and lower slotter heads 88 and 104. Their wheellike rims are machined on one side to form a shallow peripheral shoulder 110 having a central T-shaped continuous groove 112. A deeper peripheral shoulder 118 is cut into the opposite side of the rim. The latter shoulder 118 of both slotter heads 88 and 104 retains a continuous die arrangement, each comprising a pair of hardened annular female die rings separated by a smaller diameter spacer ring 122.

The male knives 114 can be installed by means of retainers 116 and the T-shaped slots on the larger diameter lower slotter head 104 as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, or they may optionally be mounted on the upper slotter head 88 as depicted in FIG. 5.

In the latter case, normal operation of the machine obtains and the knife blades 114 cycle in one to one ratio with the single stroke feeding of normal length cartons. It does not matter that the lower slotter head 104 "registers" with the upper head 88 only every third revolution because the annular die rings 120 are continuous and function at any radial position to cut slots in the blanks.

ln FIG. 2, the passage of a carton blank 26D of extended length is shown after leaving the creaser heads 74 and 80 and the slotter'heads 88 and 104. The creases 124 terminate in the usual manner in a leading slot 126 and a trailing slot 128.

However, it should be noted that with the male knives 114 mounted on the larger diameter slotter wheel 104 rather than the smaller wheel 88, it is possible to locate the slots 126 and 128 with the greater relative spacing required by the extended length carton blank.

The only price paid is the slower operation rate required by the feed one-skip two-feed rate that allows the time for the greater than normal length blank to pass through the machine without interfering one to the next.

Obviously many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings. lt is, therefore, to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.

I claim:

t. In a carton slotter mechanism having skip-feed means adjustable to feed carton blanks of varied lengths between rotary slotter wheel means of unequal radius fol slotting therebetween, with said rotary slotter wheel means rotating at a common rate of peripheral speed which corresponds to the normal feed rate of said carton blanks fed by said skip-feed means, annular die means and knife attachment means in respective axially spaced relationship on the larger of said slotter wheel means, annular die means and knife attachment means in respective axially spaced relationship on the smaller of said slotter wheel means, said annular die means of said larger of said slotter wheel means being in alignment with the said knife attachment means on the smaller of said slotter wheel means and with said annular die means of said smaller of said slotter wheel means being in alignment with said knife attachment means on the larger of said slotter wheel means, and knife means optionally mountable on smaller of said slotter wheel means for normal operation and on the larger said slotter wheel means for overlength extended slotter operation, whereby conversion from normal feeding and slotting of short cartons to skip-feed and slotting of long cartons is facilitated.

2. In a carton slotter mechanism having a pair of opposed shaft-mounted slotter wheels for slotting therebetween, skiplced means adjustable to feed carton blanks of varied lengths between said slotter wheels for spaced slotting thereby, with said slotter wheels rotating at a common rate of peripheral speed which corresponds to the normal feed rate of said carton blanks fed by said skip-feed mechanism, annular die means and knife attachment means in respective axially spaced relationship on both wheels of said pair of opposed shaft mounted slotter wheels, said annular die means on one of said slotter wheels being in alignment with the said knife attachment means on the other of said slotter wheels and said annular die means of said other slotter wheel being in alignment with said knife attachment means on said one of said slotter wheels, and knife means optionally mountable on one of said slotter wheels for normal operation and on the other said slotter wheel for overlength extended slotter operation, whereby conversion from normal feeding and slotting of short cartons t'o skip-feed and slotting of long cartons is facilitated.

3. In a carton slotter mechanism as recited in claim 2, wherein the said slotter wheels are of unequal diameters. whereby changing attachment of a knife from one slotter wheel to the other slotter wheel changes the slotting spacing of said mechanism.

4. in a carton slotter mechanism as recited in claim 3, wherein the diameters of said slotter wheels are substantially in a predetermined ratio exceeding one.

5. In a carton slotter mechanism as recited in claim 3 wherein the diameters of the said slotter wheels are substan tially in the ratio ofone to one and one-half.

6. In a carton slotter mechanism as recited in claim 3, wherein the diameters of the said slotter wheels are substantially in the ratio ofone to two.

7. In a carton slotter mechanism as recited in claim 4, wherein the said slotter wheel has spaced peripheral elements and the said knife and annular die are each attached to a respective said element.

8. In a carton slotter mechanism as recited in claim 4, wherein each saidslotter wheel has a plurality of knives.

9. In a carton slotter mechanism as recited in claim 8, wherein each annular die is composed of a pair of continuous rings and a spacer between said rings.

10. In a slotter mechanism having skip-feed means adjustable to feed carton blanks of varied lengths between rotary slotter wheel means of unequal radius for slotting therebetween, with said rotary slotter wheel means rotating at a common rate of peripheral speed which corresponds to the normal feed rate of said cartons fed by said skip-feed means, the improvement comprising: annular die means and knife attachment means in respective axially spaced relationship on both said slotter wheel means, said annular die means of one of said slotter wheel means being in alignment with the said knife attachment means on the other of said slotter wheel means and said annular die means of said other slotter wheel means being in alignment with said knife attachment means on said one of said slotter wheel means, and knife means optionally mountable on one of said slotter wheel means for normal operation and'on the other said slotter wheel means for overlength extended slotter operation, whereby conversion from normal feeding and slotting of short cartons is facilitated. 

